An aromatic member of the pandanus family, pandan
is also sometimes referred to as screwpine. These long, thin,
green leaves are popular in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia
and Thailand as an important flavouring agent for savoury
and sweet dishes. The flavour of pandan is hauntingly
aromatic and delicate, and it is as important to Asians as
vanilla is to Westerners.

Sometimes the leaves are pounded and strained to extract
their flavour and colour for cakes and sweets, or tied in
a knot and simmered in a sweet dish to gently release its
heavenly flavour.

Their flavour can also be extracted by cooking whole sections of
leaf in a savoury dish and removing it after cooking. Two of my
favourites are to drop a strip about 4 inches (10cm) into a pot
of cooking rice to perfume it, or to simmer it in vegetable curries
based around coconut milk.

Pandan leaves are available frozen from well-stocked Asian grocers,
and occasionally fresh. Excess fresh leaves can be frozen in plastic
bags for later. Pandan extract or flavouring is an acceptable, although
inferior substitute.

Pandan leaves are known as daun pandan in Indonesia and
Malaysia, rampe in Sri Lanka, bai toey in Thailand
and la dua in Vietnam.

Here’s one of my favourite pandan-scented sweet recipes.

Indonesian Pandan-flavoured Sticky Coconut Dumplings (Onde-Onde)

Also known as kuih buah melaka, these sweets derive their
pleasantly chewy texture from glutinous rice flour. All the ingredients
for onde-onde are available at Asian supermarkets. Makes 20 dumplings.

Pound and squeeze the pandan leaf in a mortar and pestle
with 2 tablespoons of hot ater to extract its fragrant green juice.

Sift the glutinous rice flour into a bowl.

Pour in a combination of the boiling water and 1 tablespoon
of the pandan juice mixed with the optional green food colouring.
Mix well, and knead into a firm lump of dough.

Roll the mixture into marble-size balls. Flatten each ball
slightly and insert 1 or 2 pieces of palm sugar. Fully enclose the
sugar, and re-shape into balls, being sure that the dough is fully
sealed with no cracks or exposed sugar. If cracks appear, simply
moisten them with water and seal again.

Bring to the boil water in a large saucepan, and drop in
half the balls. When cooked, the balls will rise to the surface.
Remove them with a slotted spoon, shake them dry, and immediately
roll them in the grated coconut.